Simon Hackett

Simon Hackett is a British academic and former social worker, who specialises in child protection and child maltreatment. He had been Principal of St Mary's College, Durham between September 2011 and 2018. From 2008 to 2011, he was Head of the School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University.

AIM3 Assessment Framework Hackett is co-author of the AIM3 Assessment Framework, a structured professional judgement model used in the assessment of adolescents who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour.

AIM3 is referenced in safeguarding procedures, children’s services guidance, youth justice practice materials and specialist harmful sexual behaviour services across the United Kingdom. The framework is used to support assessment, intervention planning, safeguarding decision-making and coordinated multi-agency responses.

Policy and Practice Impact Hackett has contributed to the development of national and international policy, guidance and professional frameworks relating to child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour. His work has focused on strengthening evidence-informed responses to children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour and supporting the development of safeguarding, assessment and intervention frameworks across a range of professional settings.

He chaired the practice development subgroup that developed the NSPCC Harmful Sexual Behaviour Framework and was one of its authors. The framework was designed to support organisations in reviewing and strengthening their responses to harmful sexual behaviour.

Hackett contributed to the development of guidance on harmful sexual behaviour in children and young people by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including through expert testimony and evidence review work. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre).

He has provided expert evidence on harmful sexual behaviour to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), including evidence concerning harmful sexual behaviour between children and young people.

In 2024 he authored a Council of Europe evidence review examining sexual violence and harmful sexual behaviour displayed by children. He subsequently contributed to the development of Council of Europe guidance in this area.

Hackett also contributed to the development of Australia’s National Clinical and Therapeutic Framework for children and young people who have displayed concerning or harmful sexual behaviours.

Professional Leadership Hackett has held leadership roles within professional organisations concerned with the prevention of sexual abuse and the development of evidence-informed practice.

Between 2015 and 2019, he served as Chair of the National Organisation for the Treatment of Abuse (NOTA), the professional association for practitioners working in the field of sexual abuse prevention and treatment in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

He later served on the Board of Directors of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA). In 2026 he became President of ATSA.

Honours and Recognition Hackett was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in recognition of his contributions to research, policy and professional practice.

Selected works